Delete roaming profile on TS server.

  • Thread starter Thread starter Marcus
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Marcus

Guest
Hello,

The proplem I'm facing is that a lot of users are logging on to our terminal
server with big roaming profiles 100Mb+ and these profiles take up a lot of
space on the Terminal servers. Folder redirection is implemented on the
following:

*Application Data
*Desktop
*My Documents
*Start menu

Is it possible to delete some folders on the terminals severs very time the
users logs of. or does anyone have any better suggestion?

All help is much appreciated

Regards

Marcus
 
Re: Delete roaming profile on TS server.

Yes, you can use this setting in a Group Policy:

Computer Configuration - Administrative Templates - System - User
profiles
"Delete cached copies of roaming profiles"

But your first priority should be to minimize the size of these
profiles!
What's making them so big, when you have already redirected most
folders out of the profile? Could be Internet Explorer cache,
althought it's by default configured to not roam with the profile.
But maybe the IE Temp files have never been deleted from the
server, if the cached roaming profiles never have been deleted?
_________________________________________________________
Vera Noest
MCSE, CCEA, Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server
TS troubleshooting: http://ts.veranoest.net
___ please respond in newsgroup, NOT by private email ___

=?Utf-8?B?TWFyY3Vz?= <Marcus@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote on
06 feb 2008 in microsoft.public.windows.terminal_services:

> Hello,
>
> The proplem I'm facing is that a lot of users are logging on to
> our terminal server with big roaming profiles 100Mb+ and these
> profiles take up a lot of space on the Terminal servers. Folder
> redirection is implemented on the following:
>
> *Application Data
> *Desktop
> *My Documents
> *Start menu
>
> Is it possible to delete some folders on the terminals severs
> very time the users logs of. or does anyone have any better
> suggestion?
>
> All help is much appreciated
>
> Regards
>
> Marcus
 
Re: Delete roaming profile on TS server.

Hi Vera,

The folder that is giving me the most trouble is Local Settings -->
Application Data. And I do not know if it is so good to delete that folder.
What I have read it can't be roamed Either.

//Marcus

"Vera Noest [MVP]" wrote:

> Yes, you can use this setting in a Group Policy:
>
> Computer Configuration - Administrative Templates - System - User
> profiles
> "Delete cached copies of roaming profiles"
>
> But your first priority should be to minimize the size of these
> profiles!
> What's making them so big, when you have already redirected most
> folders out of the profile? Could be Internet Explorer cache,
> althought it's by default configured to not roam with the profile.
> But maybe the IE Temp files have never been deleted from the
> server, if the cached roaming profiles never have been deleted?
> _________________________________________________________
> Vera Noest
> MCSE, CCEA, Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server
> TS troubleshooting: http://ts.veranoest.net
> ___ please respond in newsgroup, NOT by private email ___
>
> =?Utf-8?B?TWFyY3Vz?= <Marcus@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote on
> 06 feb 2008 in microsoft.public.windows.terminal_services:
>
> > Hello,
> >
> > The proplem I'm facing is that a lot of users are logging on to
> > our terminal server with big roaming profiles 100Mb+ and these
> > profiles take up a lot of space on the Terminal servers. Folder
> > redirection is implemented on the following:
> >
> > *Application Data
> > *Desktop
> > *My Documents
> > *Start menu
> >
> > Is it possible to delete some folders on the terminals severs
> > very time the users logs of. or does anyone have any better
> > suggestion?
> >
> > All help is much appreciated
> >
> > Regards
> >
> > Marcus

>
 
Re: Delete roaming profile on TS server.

Aren't they mostly local cache folders?
I've run for years with 1500 users with roaming TS profiles and
always deleted the cached copy. Never noticed a problem with lost
settings, but that doesn't mean that it can't occur. Depends on
where applications store there persistent data, but I would assume
that they use the Application Data folder for that (the one that
you have already redirected).

Set up a test user and test, I would say.
_________________________________________________________
Vera Noest
MCSE, CCEA, Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server
TS troubleshooting: http://ts.veranoest.net
___ please respond in newsgroup, NOT by private email ___

=?Utf-8?B?TWFyY3Vz?= <Marcus@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote on
06 feb 2008 in microsoft.public.windows.terminal_services:

> Hi Vera,
>
> The folder that is giving me the most trouble is Local Settings
> --> Application Data. And I do not know if it is so good to
> delete that folder. What I have read it can't be roamed Either.
>
> //Marcus
>
> "Vera Noest [MVP]" wrote:
>
>> Yes, you can use this setting in a Group Policy:
>>
>> Computer Configuration - Administrative Templates - System -
>> User profiles
>> "Delete cached copies of roaming profiles"
>>
>> But your first priority should be to minimize the size of these
>> profiles!
>> What's making them so big, when you have already redirected
>> most folders out of the profile? Could be Internet Explorer
>> cache, althought it's by default configured to not roam with
>> the profile. But maybe the IE Temp files have never been
>> deleted from the server, if the cached roaming profiles never
>> have been deleted?
>> _________________________________________________________ Vera
>> Noest MCSE, CCEA, Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server
>> TS troubleshooting: http://ts.veranoest.net
>> ___ please respond in newsgroup, NOT by private email ___
>>
>> =?Utf-8?B?TWFyY3Vz?= <Marcus@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote
>> on 06 feb 2008 in microsoft.public.windows.terminal_services:
>>
>> > Hello,
>> >
>> > The proplem I'm facing is that a lot of users are logging on
>> > to our terminal server with big roaming profiles 100Mb+ and
>> > these profiles take up a lot of space on the Terminal
>> > servers. Folder redirection is implemented on the following:
>> >
>> > *Application Data
>> > *Desktop
>> > *My Documents
>> > *Start menu
>> >
>> > Is it possible to delete some folders on the terminals severs
>> > very time the users logs of. or does anyone have any better
>> > suggestion?
>> >
>> > All help is much appreciated
>> >
>> > Regards
>> >
>> > Marcus
 
Re: Delete roaming profile on TS server.

Hej Vera,

I will try it. Thank you for your help.

//Marcus

"Vera Noest [MVP]" wrote:

> Aren't they mostly local cache folders?
> I've run for years with 1500 users with roaming TS profiles and
> always deleted the cached copy. Never noticed a problem with lost
> settings, but that doesn't mean that it can't occur. Depends on
> where applications store there persistent data, but I would assume
> that they use the Application Data folder for that (the one that
> you have already redirected).
>
> Set up a test user and test, I would say.
> _________________________________________________________
> Vera Noest
> MCSE, CCEA, Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server
> TS troubleshooting: http://ts.veranoest.net
> ___ please respond in newsgroup, NOT by private email ___
>
> =?Utf-8?B?TWFyY3Vz?= <Marcus@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote on
> 06 feb 2008 in microsoft.public.windows.terminal_services:
>
> > Hi Vera,
> >
> > The folder that is giving me the most trouble is Local Settings
> > --> Application Data. And I do not know if it is so good to
> > delete that folder. What I have read it can't be roamed Either.
> >
> > //Marcus
> >
> > "Vera Noest [MVP]" wrote:
> >
> >> Yes, you can use this setting in a Group Policy:
> >>
> >> Computer Configuration - Administrative Templates - System -
> >> User profiles
> >> "Delete cached copies of roaming profiles"
> >>
> >> But your first priority should be to minimize the size of these
> >> profiles!
> >> What's making them so big, when you have already redirected
> >> most folders out of the profile? Could be Internet Explorer
> >> cache, althought it's by default configured to not roam with
> >> the profile. But maybe the IE Temp files have never been
> >> deleted from the server, if the cached roaming profiles never
> >> have been deleted?
> >> _________________________________________________________ Vera
> >> Noest MCSE, CCEA, Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server
> >> TS troubleshooting: http://ts.veranoest.net
> >> ___ please respond in newsgroup, NOT by private email ___
> >>
> >> =?Utf-8?B?TWFyY3Vz?= <Marcus@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote
> >> on 06 feb 2008 in microsoft.public.windows.terminal_services:
> >>
> >> > Hello,
> >> >
> >> > The proplem I'm facing is that a lot of users are logging on
> >> > to our terminal server with big roaming profiles 100Mb+ and
> >> > these profiles take up a lot of space on the Terminal
> >> > servers. Folder redirection is implemented on the following:
> >> >
> >> > *Application Data
> >> > *Desktop
> >> > *My Documents
> >> > *Start menu
> >> >
> >> > Is it possible to delete some folders on the terminals severs
> >> > very time the users logs of. or does anyone have any better
> >> > suggestion?
> >> >
> >> > All help is much appreciated
> >> >
> >> > Regards
> >> >
> >> > Marcus

>
 
Re: Delete roaming profile on TS server.

Marcus wrote:
> Hi Vera,
>
> The folder that is giving me the most trouble is Local Settings -->
> Application Data. And I do not know if it is so good to delete that folder.
> What I have read it can't be roamed Either.
>
> //Marcus
>
> "Vera Noest [MVP]" wrote:
>
>> Yes, you can use this setting in a Group Policy:
>>
>> Computer Configuration - Administrative Templates - System - User
>> profiles
>> "Delete cached copies of roaming profiles"
>>
>> But your first priority should be to minimize the size of these
>> profiles!
>> What's making them so big, when you have already redirected most
>> folders out of the profile? Could be Internet Explorer cache,
>> althought it's by default configured to not roam with the profile.
>> But maybe the IE Temp files have never been deleted from the
>> server, if the cached roaming profiles never have been deleted?
>> _________________________________________________________
>> Vera Noest
>> MCSE, CCEA, Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server
>> TS troubleshooting: http://ts.veranoest.net
>> ___ please respond in newsgroup, NOT by private email ___
>>
>> =?Utf-8?B?TWFyY3Vz?= <Marcus@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote on
>> 06 feb 2008 in microsoft.public.windows.terminal_services:
>>
>>> Hello,
>>>
>>> The proplem I'm facing is that a lot of users are logging on to
>>> our terminal server with big roaming profiles 100Mb+ and these
>>> profiles take up a lot of space on the Terminal servers. Folder
>>> redirection is implemented on the following:
>>>
>>> *Application Data
>>> *Desktop
>>> *My Documents
>>> *Start menu
>>>
>>> Is it possible to delete some folders on the terminals severs
>>> very time the users logs of. or does anyone have any better
>>> suggestion?
>>>
>>> All help is much appreciated
>>>
>>> Regards
>>>
>>> Marcus


As Vera said, I would definitely look at what happens if you turn off
folder redirection for Application Data. What application(s) is/are
storing data there? What would be the impact if the applications(s) had
different local content?

For example, at the Hospice I support, we use a medical database
application (Misys) on our Citrix/TS servers that stores a *LOT* of
temp/cached data in a local cache folder. I ended up excluding that
folder from the TS Roaming Profiles and it reduced the size and loading
time by a lot. Having different cache folders on each server turned out
to be no big deal. The few times it becomes an issue are easily
resolved, costing a lots less in support time than slow logons and
corrupted profiles caused...

The real problem you have here is the size of the profiles. Space on the
TS server is a logistical issue, not a technical one. Increase the
amount of storage and/or clean up the drive. It may be complicated, but
not a big *technical* one.

Having roaming profiles of 100MB+ is an invitation to slow logons and
corrupted profiles. I'm kind of surprised that this is not a bigger
issue than the space taken up on the TS server....

--

Regards,
Hank Arnold
Microsoft MVP
Windows Server - Directory Services
 
RE: Delete roaming profile on TS server.

Hi,

the deleteing of the cached profiles is not working 100%, I need to exclude
the following folder C:\Documents and Settings\[username]\Application
Data\VMware\hgfs.dat from beeing roamed. Note we run our server in an VMware
enviroment. How do i eclude that specific foldeR?

"Marcus" wrote:

> Hello,
>
> The proplem I'm facing is that a lot of users are logging on to our terminal
> server with big roaming profiles 100Mb+ and these profiles take up a lot of
> space on the Terminal servers. Folder redirection is implemented on the
> following:
>
> *Application Data
> *Desktop
> *My Documents
> *Start menu
>
> Is it possible to delete some folders on the terminals severs very time the
> users logs of. or does anyone have any better suggestion?
>
> All help is much appreciated
>
> Regards
>
> Marcus
 
RE: Delete roaming profile on TS server.

User Configuration - Administrative Templates - System - User
profiles
"Exclude directories in roaming profile"
_________________________________________________________
Vera Noest
MCSE, CCEA, Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server
TS troubleshooting: http://ts.veranoest.net
___ please respond in newsgroup, NOT by private email ___

=?Utf-8?B?TWFyY3Vz?= <Marcus@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote on
12 feb 2008 in microsoft.public.windows.terminal_services:

> Hi,
>
> the deleteing of the cached profiles is not working 100%, I need
> to exclude the following folder C:\Documents and
> Settings\[username]\Application Data\VMware\hgfs.dat from beeing
> roamed. Note we run our server in an VMware enviroment. How do i
> eclude that specific foldeR?
>
> "Marcus" wrote:
>
>> Hello,
>>
>> The proplem I'm facing is that a lot of users are logging on to
>> our terminal server with big roaming profiles 100Mb+ and these
>> profiles take up a lot of space on the Terminal servers. Folder
>> redirection is implemented on the following:
>>
>> *Application Data
>> *Desktop
>> *My Documents
>> *Start menu
>>
>> Is it possible to delete some folders on the terminals severs
>> very time the users logs of. or does anyone have any better
>> suggestion?
>>
>> All help is much appreciated
>>
>> Regards
>>
>> Marcus
 
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